Apron / On the countryside

Near the river Pat van Boeckel built a grotto from wooden boxes used for fruit and vegetables. He placed a female figure wearing an apron inside. Her face was carved using the thin pieces of wood
the boxes were constructed from. The figure in the massive hut resembled Madonna in the grotto. The accumulated objects piled up over the sculpture and created a dynamic structure. In this way, the artist wanted to honor a woman who cares for the plants, looks after the crops throughout the whole process, from sowing to preparing a meal from the harvested crops. Between the trees, on the road through the woods, Pat van Boeckel hung aprons, messages announcing his work. The installation was accompanied by a film, inspired by Józef Czechowicz’s poem by “In the
Countryside”. This soporific poetic impression of the riverside landscape showcased local nature along with the traces of human life and death.

Marta Ryczkowska, text from the catalogue